Stare
by RZZMG
Summary: With his keeper, Hermione Granger, asleep at her work bench, Draco Malfoy (in ferret form) finds he has options at long last: to escape out the window, to steal some sweet treats before escaping out the window, or turning back and staying put in his cage. What should he do? A 'Choose Your Own Adventure' story with 3 endings. Dramione. 2013 H&V REVERSE CHALLENGE ENTRY. COMPLETE!
1. CHAPTER 1 - Stare

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**This was my 3rd and final entry for the 2014 Hawthorn & Vine "Reverse Challenge" 2013-2014 (dramione . org). ****The fest is long over and reveals are out, so I can post this for you here. This fanfic is multi-chaptered, but complete. I will post it all up at once for you. **

**Here was the prompt I worked from - art by the ULTRA TALENTED "smilewithoutcat": **_farm3 . staticflickr 2843 / 9836487205_75811d1368_c . jpg_ **(remove spaces in that URL to see the image)**

**Thank you to the H&V Mods for hosting this fantastic fest! How fun!**

**I loved the artwork, provided by smilewithoutcat - so inspirational! Beautiful job!**

**Special thanks to Ladysashi for her advice on how to solve the conundrum of picking a story plot to write. I had three ideas that popped into my head from this art prompt, all vastly different. She gave me the solution as to how to make them all work for this piece – A 'Choose Your Own Adventure' style ending. THANK YOU, LS – you're brilliant!**

**Please review!**

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><p><strong>DISCLAIMER: <strong>"Harry Potter" is the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. This fanfiction was written entirely for fun, not for profit, and no copyright infringement is intended. All characters depicted in sexual situations are above the age of consent.

**TIMELINE:** Various A/U scenarios (different timelines)

**MAIN CHARACTERS FEATURED (alphabetical order, last name):** Hermione Granger, Ferret!Draco Malfoy

**SUMMARY:** With his keeper, Hermione Granger, asleep at her work bench, Ferret!Draco finds he has options at long last: to escape out the window, to steal some sweet treats before escaping out the window, or turning back and staying put in his cage. What should he do?

**RATING: **T / PG-15

**WARNINGS:** Choose-Your-Own-Adventure type story (3 possible endings), one profanity, one ending is dark-ish, characters a bit OOC for the sake of the plot.

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><p><strong><em>STARE<em>**

**By: RZZMG**

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><p>Finally, she was asleep.<p>

Draco let out a soft, nearly silent sigh of relief.

It had only taken two hours of silent reading, a cup of warm milk, and a crackling fire, but Granger had finally succumbed to her exhaustion, the long days and nights of continual research and occasional experimentation taking their toll. She was down for the count, lightly snoring.

He inched the door of his cage open, careful of rattling it. Earlier, he'd spit upon the hinges and placed straw between them to minimize the harsh metal-upon-metal squeak emitted whenever the front trap was opened. Granger didn't like it when he attempted to escape his enclosure; being under her foot was an absolute no-no. But he'd been waiting for this exact chance to break out, and there was no way he wasn't going to take it. Patience had never been one of Draco's virtues, after all – not even when he'd walked on two legs, rather than four.

He managed to get the cage door opened and on skilled, silent feet, escaped his prison. His intended destination: the window. There was a tree just outside, he knew, and although it was a very long jump, he felt confident that he could make it. It was a bit of a drop to get there, but he was determined. He'd been cooped up in his family's manor long enough!

He quickly snuck across the table, stopping every few seconds to look up and glance over at Granger, assuring she was still asleep. As he came into close range of her, he crept right up into her face, sniffing. She smelled of the tangy Italian-made ink she preferred to use for her copious note-taking, and the sweet perfume of Asphodel from the labs where she worked, and underneath it all, the cloying scent of the multitude of potions she'd been taking to stay awake for the past several days.

_Stay asleep_, he willed, and hurried past. This was his last chance to get outside – to feel the sun on his back, and the crisp, autumn winds ruffling his fur. He couldn't miss it!

As he scampered down the tiered work bench to the floor, and headed for the open window, something sparkling and bright caught his eye. Instinctively, he stopped, mesmerised. The candy dish had been restocked! It practically overflowed with brightly-wrapped chocolate – Granger's offering to visiting guests to her private quarters, or a simple treat for her when alone.

Draco's mouth watered. He'd gone so long without the flavour of sugar on his tongue… and oh, how that had left him depressingly resigned to his fate! Surely, he had enough time to try for a treat, didn't he? Stopping for just one candy wouldn't delay him for too long, and then he could make a run for sweet freedom, yeah?

He contemplated his next move, switching his attention back and forth between the call of the open window and the lure of the shiny candy dish, and then back over his shoulder at Granger, who's snoring sounded unusually... off.

What should he do?

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><p><strong>If you believe Draco should go for the chocolate then escape out the window, go to CHAPTER 2<strong>

**If you believe Draco should run for the open window now, go to CHAPTER 3**

**If you believe Draco should instead investigate Granger's odd sleep, go to CHAPTER 4**


	2. CHAPTER 2 - The Lure of Greed

_**THE LURE OF GREED**_

_**PAGE 2 - "If you believe Draco should go for the chocolate, then escape out the window…"**_

Draco succumbed to the temptation to go for the chocolate first, his greed too strong an allure to ignore any longer. It might be his last chance to enjoy the taste of sugar, after all, and he'd always had a sweet tooth to rival Honeyduke's own.

Creeping up across the shabby, dull carpet, he was careful to keep his tracks hidden by stepping into the deep furrows worn into the fibers over the years by Granger's constant pacing. The woman perpetually worried over every detail, as the greying hair already peeking from her temples attested.

But then, if Draco had her boss, he'd worry too. Voldemort wasn't known for being forgiving, no matter how brilliant the flunky… or even if she regularly warmed his bed.

That Granger had been seduced away from her precious Order by the lure of dark, secret magicks contained within powerful, ancient tomes that had been thought lost with the sacking of the Library of Alexandria thousands of years ago (but had turned out to be in the Dark Lord's stash) was neither here nor there, though, and really Draco could care less about the goings-on of her or other humans. Since being permanently cursed into his Animagi form by his former Master for failing to retrieve Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem from the Room of Hidden Things before Potter had gotten to it, Draco had been relatively free of the worries that would befall the world of men – especially the issue of sharply declining birth rates amongst wizards (the task of solving _that_ little riddle had fallen heavily upon Granger's shoulders, however, and was what had kept the witch up for days on end, working to find a cure). He'd washed his paws of the entire race. Let them die out, as far as he was concerned. It would be doing the planet a favour.

Sadly, the secret of chocolate making would go with them… so, he'd better get in now what the getting was good!

Slinking up the cosy chair situated near the window–one of Granger's favourite reading nooks–he hopped up onto the arm and stepped across to the small, side table next to it. There, in the bowl in the middle, were the shiny, wrapped treasures he craved.

Pausing before bending his head to grab a wrapper between his teeth, he looked over at where his mistress was still slumped over her work bench. Lightly snoring, she was still very much asleep. Luck was still on his side. Quickly, he grabbed the edge of a candy, and dragged it from its bowl.

The sharp crinkling the foil wrapper made as his small teeth gripped it and pulled hadn't been expected, and he froze, all of his senses on alert.

Granger's breathing pattern didn't change; she hadn't been disturbed by his antics.

He let out a small, barely audible sigh of relief, and then considered his options again.

This was no good. He'd never get his prize back down the chair to the floor, much less from there to the window seat and out the window itself without making a lot of noise – noise which was bound to wake Granger. If he wanted to enjoy this last sweet, he'd have to open it here as quickly and (more importantly) quietly as possible.

Slowly, he set the candy down on the side table and got to it. His tiny hands, however, had been declawed by Granger to prevent him scratching her, and now had a difficult time opening the wrapper. After several moments, in mounting frustration, he finally resorted to utilizing his sharp front teeth to do the job – which created noise.

He went stock still once more as Granger stirred in slumber. Her back expanded as she took a deep breath and lifted her head from her work bench. Rubbing her eyes, she yawned.

It had been a mistake to attempt the candy, Draco now knew. In giving into his greed, he'd delayed his chance for a clean escape. Now, he'd have to scurry and hope her reflexes or the spells she'd hurl in his direction didn't connect. A momentary pang of regret struck him for this lost chance to sample a sweet one last time, but at that moment, survival took precedence.

Dropping the candy, he bolted across the table and hit the floor at full speed. Behind him, he heard Granger's cry of surprise as his bulk connected with the floor, alerting her to his escape, but jumped for the window bench without looking back. A few more inches… just a few more!

He dove through the open window with a mighty leap just as one of her spells connected with it, slamming it shut behind him. Arcing through the air in free fall twisted his stomach up into knots, and when he hit the tree branch, he scrambled to keep a hold of it. Without claws, though, he was unable to get a firm grasp and fell straight down.

Luckily, he hit a bunch of thin, softer branches with leaves on the way, and was able to finally grab one. He was tossed up and down by the disturbed branch until the momentum of his impact wavered out, and then he leapt for a more solid limb below. In such a manner, he made his way to the soft, wet ground.

Scratched up, bleeding under one armpit, and his tiny heart pattering a million miles a second, he stopped to take a moment to catch his breath and get his bearings. He'd done it. He was free! He glanced up towards the window through which he'd escaped… Granger was leaning out of it, staring down at him with a scowl.

"You've made a big mistake, Malfoy," she snarled down at him. "With that coat of yours, you're fairly easy to spot, you know. I _will_ catch you again, and when I do… I'm going to neuter you without anesthetic. Then I'll throw you in an even smaller cage – something magically locked. You'll never leave my sight again."

He growled at her, baring fangs. _Bite me, bitch,_ he barked at her in the language of ferrets, and then turned tail and scampered off towards the nearby woods, careful when moving across the expanse of open ground. Once inside the safety of lush forest, hidden in the underbrush, he paused only to look back and make sure he wasn't be followed. Thankfully, no dark shapes of humans or animals were headed in his direction, so he deemed his get-away a success.

Smelling and listening, he stretched out his senses, locating the potential dangers. When he was convinced it was safe, he headed in the direction he'd predetermined would be the best location for temporary shelter from the elements: the Malfoy family tumuli at the back of the property. No one ever went there, finding the underground chamber tombs too creepy to visit, and the smell of the dead within to be too foul to stomach for long. With the soil soft in that location from a nearby stream that ran past, he knew it to be an ideal location to burrow down for the remainder of the fall season. He'd hunt only at night, avoiding the owls the best he could, and pray to make it until the first snows fell. Then, come winter, he'd use his natural white-coat as camouflage and leave the despoiled Malfoy grounds forever.

He'd get as far as he could on his short, stubby legs until he found a new place to live, far from the stink of humans and their war machine. Let them have it all.

_**~FIN~**_

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES:<strong>

**Please review - what did you think of this dark ending?**


	3. CHAPTER 3 - I Wanna Play!

_**I WANNA PLAY!**_

_**Chapter 3 - "If you believe Draco should run for the open window now…"**_

Draco struggled for several moments to overcome his greedy animal nature. In the end, his higher brain won out.

No, he wouldn't risk going for the chocolate at this time as it was simply too much a risk. Besides, his window of opportunity was, literally, narrowing. Once it became too cold in the room, Granger would wake up. She'd close the window, and this perfect chance for a break outside would be lost. As he'd been cooped up inside the Manor with her all spring and summer as she worked on a way to reverse the curse some fanatical, post-war revenge-seeker had cast upon him, his cabin fever was in need of _immediate _relief.

Delaying any longer might just send him into a ferret frenzy – and no one wanted that, least of all him, as that usually ended with him locked in his cage, sulking until his foul temper ran its course and he was no longer a bite threat.

Besides, he could always trick his girlfriend into giving him some sweets after playtime was over and she hauled him back inside for the night. Granger was a sucker for his big, liquid eyes and those silly 'dooking' noises he made, and she was practically putty in his paws anytime he rolled over and gave her his soft, white belly to tickle.

It was decided: window now, yummies later.

Making a mad dash across the room, his claws put scratches in the fine wood flooring as he ran full tilt. He bounded up onto the window bench and put everything he had into one powerful leap forward…

"_Arresto Momentum."_

Mid-air, Draco was caught by Granger's spell and frozen in place. Pouting, he hovered, his little arms stretched out beyond the window sill, just barely touching the sky. In his head, he swore up a storm. Drat, he'd been only inches away from a few hours of frolicking fun out on the lawn!

Granger hurried across the room and snatched him up into her arms with a sigh of frustration. Draco cursed his bad luck, even as he rubbed his snout against her warm, heaving bosom. Well, maybe losing this time wasn't _all_ bad…

"Draco, we've talked about this," she growled, heading for her favourite cosy chair near the hearth and taking a seat. With a wave of her wand, she conjured a roaring, warm fire in the fireplace to counter the slight trembling of cold in her limbs. "I know how anxious and full of energy you are as a ferret, and that your instinct is to constantly play, especially outdoors in the grass, but there are owls and hawks out there, and you're their prey of choice."

Draco sniffed in disdain. No Malfoy hawk or owl would _dare_ attempt to snack on him!

"If you were killed," she continued, giving him an arch look, "I'd have to start dating Ron again just so I wouldn't be alone. You wouldn't want that, now, would you?"

No, he bloody well would _not!_ She wasn't to touch Weasley ever, ever, _ever_ again – even if he did remain as a ferret for the rest of his life!

Pushing up so his head was raised high enough that he could look her in the eye, he barked and growled to let her know he absolutely wouldn't stand for such an idea. He even stomped his little paws against her arm in emphasis. Hell, he'd rather she end up with Potter (_gag_) than the Weasel King!

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Then no trying to escape, okay?" She rubbed a tired hand over her eyes and slumped down into her chair, seemingly too exhausted to go on. "I'll take you out tomorrow, if it's not raining, okay? For right now, let's just go to bed, shall we?"

In an instant, his attention was once more diverted. Going to bed with Granger sounded like a fine plan to him! Forget the cold, autumn outdoors. He'd rather snuggle under the blankets next to a barely dressed girlfriend!

He made a happy chirping noise and nodded his head to indicate he was on board for bedtime.

Granger laughed, leaned forward, and kissed his nose. "I love you, you rotten ferret," she playfully told him. "Let's go to bed."

With that, she lifted him in her arms and headed into the bedroom adjacent to this, her work room. They by-passed the candy dish and passed by the window, which she shut with a simple wave of her wand. Draco gave both distractions nary a glance, his attention wholly focussed now on the way her soft boobs squished under his paws as he gently kneaded against her jumper. He purred in satisfaction at the feel.

Hell, breasts were even better than chocolate, weren't they? And, hey, who needed the freedom of the outdoors when he could play with these toys all night long under a blankie?

_**~FIN~**_

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES:<strong>

**Please review - what did you think of this romantic ending?**


	4. CHAPTER 4 - What's Wrong With My Granger

_**WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY GRANGER?**_

_**PAGE 4 - "If you believe Draco should instead investigate Granger's odd sleep…"**_

Distracted by the witch in the room, Draco turned away from the window and the candy dish, both (his temporary pleasure-seeking pursuits) and focussed all his attention on Granger, concerned by the peculiar sounds she was making as she slept. Her breathing sounded strangely… amiss.

Going quite still, he tilted his ears in her direction and listened.

The alarming rattle of phlegm in Hermione's lungs was subtle, but present, and he noted that each of her in-drawn breaths seemed weaker than the last. She sounded congested in both her chest and her nose, and clearly the air exchange wasn't a strong one.

_Oh, no,_ he fretted, hurrying back up onto the table. Granger had only just recovered from a rather terrible pneumonia earlier that spring – one that had forced her into bed for a month and a half before she'd been strong enough to get up. The Healer had said she'd needed to rest, to take all her potions he'd proscribed, and had cautioned her not to push herself as she had been. _"People die from pneumonia, Miss Granger,"_ he'd said.

Was this a relapse? He hoped not. The last time she'd almost succumbed to her illness.

But she'd looked relatively healthy once she'd recovered! In fact, she'd seemed quite spry this summer, despite the long nights she spent up working in the house's converted dungeon that now served as her laboratory, trying to find a cure for the Malfoy family's ancient curse (the spell that had activated upon Draco's twenty-fifth birthday and had forced him into a ferret's form because he hadn't begotten an heir by then).

Yet, as he thought about it, the changing weather outside _had _depressed them both. With the sun setting sooner and the night holding sway far longer as the days wore on towards winter, it had gotten colder and wetter and gloomier; the bouts of sun peeking through the grey clouds above, like today, were a rare treat. Perhaps the turning of the seasons was partially to blame, too?

Quickly, he scrambled to where she was currently slumbering. He sniffed her again, this time with a deeper, more considering sniff, and he pressed the side of his head to her wrist. She carried the metallic odour of sweat and the sourness of disease underneath the other fragrances he'd earlier identified, and her pulse was thready. Pressing forward, he placed a paw on her forehead. It was hot and a bit damp from fever.

The symptoms had come on swiftly – a bad sign. Was that why she'd simply fallen asleep at her work station here in her private suite? Had she been so fatigued that she couldn't even drag herself to bed?

Pushing on her cheek, he began barking to wake her up. Her lashes fluttered and she stirred, albeit feebly.

"Malfoy, stop," she groused, sniffling. She sounded congested.

He barked at her again, an animal's instinct telling him to get her up and on her feet. When she feebly swatted at him to go away, he took drastic steps: he bit the tip of her nose, not enough to draw blood, but enough to get her attention.

It worked. With a roar, she awoke and sprang clumsily off her stool. "Malfoy! What the bloody-! What do you think you're doing?"

Well, at least she was up.

He barked at her again, and made a shivering motion, pretending to be cold. Maybe she'd take the hint and light a fire, and go sit near it.

She did exactly as he expected, and then she made herself some hot, steaming tea and took a potion for that he recognised as helpful to breaking up a cold in the nose and throat. Summoning a blanket, she wrapped it around herself and snuggled up in her favourite cosy chair by the fire.

Draco scampered over to her and climbed into her lap, watching her, wary and aware for any changes to her pallor and demeanour.

"My research today yielded a very promising lead on the curse that was used on you," she informed him as she reached forward to stroke a gentle hand over his furry back. She lingered over his fluffy tail, playing with it. "I think it's quite possible to develop a counter in a few weeks."

He climbed up her body until his nose touched hers, and he stared her in the eyes when she peeked through her lashes to look down at him.

_"I love you, you stubborn witch,"_ he dooked at her, his small whiskers twitching back and forth, _"more than chocolate, more than freedom. You know that, don't you? So, I don't want you working until you're well. It can wait. I'm not going anywhere. I need you to get better first."_

Her slow, sweet smile told him she understood his meaning, even if the expressions he made were foolish and the sounds he made weren't discernible words for human ears. "Don't worry, Draco, we'll both be one-hundred percent back to normal soon," she whispered to him, setting her tea cup on the side table next to the candy dish and carefully wrapping him in her arms, cuddling with him. "It's just a small cold. I Owl'd the Healer yesterday about it, and he sent the potions for me to take. I should be well in a week. I'll spend it in bed, resting, okay?"

He dooked acceptance of her plan and licked over the spot on her nose he'd earlier bitten.

Granger laughed and turned her head. "Stop that, you wily ferret! You'll catch my ill."

He dropped back down in her arms, cuddling against her bosom. She was very warm here.

"I think I may have figured out the exact curse upon your family," she told him. "Now it's just a matter of inventing a counter spell. I think we might just have you back to normal by Christmas. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

He would, very much… but not at the expense of her health. He'd make sure from now on that her needs came before his own. No more playful attempts to escape; his cabin fever would just have to be put on hold.

She petted him for a long time in silence, and he was nearly asleep, enjoying a lazy nap, when her jostling about woke him up.

"It's a good thing you didn't see these," she said, reaching for the bowl on the small side table, scooting aside her tea cup to reach it. She pulled out one of the wrapped chocolates. "A piece this size could have killed you. Chocolate is toxic to ferrets." She opened it and popped the milk chocolate ball into her mouth. "For me, it helps get rid of the taste of the potions."

Draco looked at the empty wrapper in her hand, and then back at the candy dish. He gave a lamenting sigh.

Chocolate were toxic to a ferret?! Why didn't anyone tell him that before? He could have died if he'd gone for them!

Well, at least he'd dodged that jinx.

Still… drat! This year had turned out to be absolutely no fun at all.

_**~FIN~**_

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES:<strong>

**Please review - what did you think of this bittersweet ending?**


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